10. Smt Shilpi Gaur

Rev Sir, dear brothers and sisters,

My humble pranams to all of you.

Today we are here to understand more about who is the happiest man?

Our Master, in his message delivered during Ashram Inauguration at Shahjahanpur in January 1976 says, “The happiest man is he who is happy under all circumstances.”

In regular understanding ‘happiness’ is understood as ‘joy’, which is an opposite of ‘sorrow’. If we ponder over what our beloved Master is saying we can clearly say he is talking about a happy state which is the same under all circumstances. But if we look at our lives or any ones else’s life we can clearly see that the state of joy is not present under all circumstances.

Therefore we need to look at the real meaning of the word happy here. Master is referring here to a state of balance when our mind comes to a harmonious state where circumstances & environment will have no effect on it and there will be no disturbance within. Peace and tranquility shall reign all through under all circumstances. Now the opposites like joy/ sorrow, likes/ dislikes, interest/ disinterest etc. will seize to exist. All desires, passions, excitements lose their intensity. Then we can say we are talking of real happiness, which is the state of a spiritual person.

But now the question is how is it possible to be happy under all circumstances?

Master says till we are attached to the changeable (not real) we will keep moving in these planes of opposites experiencing its push or pull. Whether we label them as desirable or not desirable; like or dislike it does not matter much both ways it is a bind. We need to stay connect with Real - Truth.

Let us walk through a scenario where we see how attachment binds us and causes us to lose balance.

Every one knows that we all will have to give up this body one day, still we see many people remain devoted to it beyond due limits. There are people today, who think that this body is the most important thing that they have, they adore it, adorn it and flaunt it. Enormous money, time and energy are spent in making it the best (or enhance it more and more). Innumerable number of beauty and fitness shops are coming up not because all are needed but because people are getting more and more oriented towards the outer beauty and maintenance of this body forgetting the very purpose of this body- it is the vehicle of our true self. All care for their body becomes there objective. This feeling, that they have for their body serves as a bondage, if they feel it diseased they are all along with doctors. They get really disturbed and upset about the issue. They are all the time serving their own master, the body. They have no value for soul residing in the body. Owing to this pull they lose balance and soul is paid no or very little attention. This example is as ridiculous as someone who loves his house of brick & motor very much decorates and cleans it all the time but neglects the family/people living inside (love and care for them is missing). We do not have to neglect our body altogether, but give due attention as required for its proper functioning and maintenance. The balance is needed, but if attachment is present it surely pulls and makes us loose balance.

We can find umpteen number of such examples in our lives where we will see that when we attach our feelings to the object of our fancy or hatred the result is loss of balance. But as our feeling of viveka and vairagya develop we will be in a position to stay more balanced.

So now the obvious question is how to get rid of attachment which disturbs our balance?

In the same message Master says,” We should live life like the coot and the ducks in the water, which when they are out of water, have no effect of water on their wings. We should love our parents and everybody in the family with out being soiled by the attachment.”

Here Master is driving the same point which we understand as – need to live life such that we do not make any impression of it on our heart. So how can we live like that? Master further coveys, “Now he has started learning love from the very base which moves on all sides.” We really need to understand what Master is trying to explain.

The concept is- the beauty hidden in the love for the Ultimate is such that once we love Him we learn to love from base where from it flows to all equally and becomes Universal in nature. When our love flows equally to all there is no question of undue attachment to any one. Hence when we attach our selves firmly to Infinite, all attachments to finite (human beings and His creation) become due attachments. Thus we experience detachment in attachment. In such a state all our actions are such that we don’t take their impressions on our heart.

Then all prejudices are washed away and barriers of feeling of separation are broken. But the proper utilization of this unconditional love is when we use it for the common good, for global good and not merely for our selfish purposes (fame or any other shade of ego). Master says, “Love is not bad, but its proper utilization we do not know. That, our system will teach in due course of time”.

Thus we see when we learn to feel our love flowing towards all we shed undue attachments.

Revered Sir has very nicely explained the concept of love in his paper ‘we should attempt the finite for the infinite’ (BP vol. –v pg 131) He has expressed that “divine love is a luminous pool of light and not a beam focused on one object at a time. Unconditional holistic love is the answer to all life challenges. We are here on earth to learn how to meaningfully integrate ourselves with all that is Nature. We are here to accept ourselves and others completely, without judgment. One may ask whether we are supposed to love someone who is determined to be non-loving. The secret here is that there is a difference between an acceptance of the outer belief systems of a person and an acceptance of his inner essence. Regardless of that person’s outward belief system, and whether we agree with it or not, it is the inner essence of the person that we learn to recognize, love, accept and integrate with. It is such a love of all that is the basis of the prayer that we are asked to make at 9 P.M.”

Bringing this concept down to mundane situation we can understand that in today’s society we may feel many people living in lower (animal) consciousness around us. We may not agree or love their actions and thinking, surely not but certainly if we feel divinity inside our heart we will feel that “the inner essence” of such a person is something we feel affinity with and a divine connection of a sort is present and because of that feeling there is no dislike or hatred towards him, only love is present. His actions may be disliked akin to a child’s mistakes where mother/teacher dislikes the wrong actions of a child but love for the child does not diminish. It is that love, which is the basis of all service.

How can we grow to this stage and live like one who loves all?

Unlike many other systems, where the responsibility to grow to the realms of loving all, feeling oneness with all is totally aspirants responsibility; in our system we have simple to-do practices, specific practices which promote feeling of brotherhood, practices which help us maintain purity and a path to follow which enable us to live at those planes as far as aspirants role is concerned. The most valuable here is the support of our Master (transmission) because of which we can enter the regions, which otherwise, by self effort alone, are next to impossible to reach.

But practically speaking, we are all family people. We will live amongst people and worldly things but our requirement and usage should be in moderation. Master says, “Necessities of our life should be meager.” When we can live feeling that everything is our duty and do it and have it only for duty sake, and not for enjoying it, we can better distinguish between our need and greed. Once we reach that point we can say now our living is plain and simple.

When our love becomes Universal and our living plain and simple we can confidently say that we are the happiest since we are happy under all circumstances.

Thank you